On Dec. 31, renowned Beijing attorney Gao Zhisheng publicly appealed on behalf of Falun Gong's rights by openly publishing a letter that he'd written to the National People's Congress. In his letter, attorney Gao stated that he had recently received many appeals in the form of letters seeking help for the Falun Gong practitioners throughout the country that are being held and tortured in forced labor camps.
Citing the case of Falun Gong practitioner Huang Wei, who is one of those currently being held in the forced labor camps, Gao pointed out the illegality of the situation facing the jailed practitioners. He remarked that the case serves as an example of the "miserable conditions and rueful feelings" that these citizens suffer through on a daily basis. Gao also sharply set forth the current state of the relevant administrative and judicial organizations engaged in deliberately breaking the law.
Attorney Gao, following his conscience, standing up for justice and truth, and safeguarding human rights and moral values has attracted support from both inside and outside of China. Many people have expressed their opinions on The Epoch Times ' BBS website.
"I firmly support attorney Gao's open letter appealing on behalf of Falun Gong's human rights, and salute lawyer Gao!" one says.
"I wish that all Chinese with a conscience and sense of justice will come to support attorney Gao, thereby passing on the values of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance to future generations, and helping our fellow Chinese that are living in misery," another said.
"Safeguarding human rights is the basic responsibility of every human being. Attorney Gao's righteous actions are truly to be respected and I hope that all kindhearted people will support him," a third said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese non-government Web site for "citizen protectors of human rights" ( www.gmwq.org ) made an announcement calling upon Chinese citizens to sign a petition in support of attorney Gao's letter. The founder of the Web site, Li Jian, a resident of mainland China, told a reporter for The Epoch Times that Gao is taking a great risk coming out publicly against the government during such a volatile time. He hopes that more people will be inspired by Gao's courage and stand by him.
The Web announcement stated: "The issue reflected in attorney Gao Zhisheng's open letter extends far beyond the scope of Huang Wei's case. It has clearly and profoundly exposed the serious problems with the current judicial system in our country, and demonstrated that the rights of citizens have been brutally violated."
The announcement also stated: "For a long time now, the government has been taking advantage of state power and employing various illegal means such as forced labor camps and the large-scale illegal detainment and control of many citizens (including citizens embracing Falun Gong). These actions constitute mass political persecution and have already led to a serious humanitarian disaster."
Hence the website has called upon Chinese citizens to sign the petition supporting Gao's open letter. It also asks people to condemn the forced labor education system, re-examine the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress "banning heretical cult organizations, preventing and punishing cult activities," and to take the necessary measures to immediately stop and correct relevant infringements of citizens' rights.
It can be said that Falun Gong practitioners who dare to speak the truth and who persist in their belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance," represent the conscience of China. They are the outstanding citizens in the morally bankrupt Chinese society under the rule of the Communist Party. No just person can tolerate the persecution and defamation of Falun Gong and its practitioners; actions are certainly not permitted by heavenly laws.
Every citizen, including kind and innocent Falun Gong practitioners, has sacred inviolable rights and should receive legitimate and fair treatment. Such long-term, open and large-scale infringements of human rights taking place in China are totally incompatible with the requirements of governing by law; it can be seen to completely contradict them. It is a testament to the degeneration of the Chinese judicial system, the shame of Chinese people, the grief of Chinese society and the great misfortune of the Chinese nation.
We call upon all people of conscience and those who possess a sense of justice to support attorney Gao's letter, and to do their best to help those suffering Falun Gong practitioners in any and every way possible.
Conscience is the moral consciousness that each person must uphold.
Justice must be promoted!
Notes:
[1] Attorney Gao Zhisheng has taken many celebrated cases in China. Among them, one-third were pro bono cases that he fought on behalf of those unfortunate people living at the bottom of society who have no way out of their situation. His clients include rural laborer Chen Nanliu, who was among the Stella International shoe company workers in Dongguan of Guangdong province that were singled out in the subsequent violent mass protests. He also represented activist Ye Guozhu, who was arrested and sentenced for organizing a 10,000-person protest against the abuse of power.
[2] The website for "citizen protectors of human rights" carries some influence among human rights activists in China. The website has hired more than 100 scholars from mainland China as consultants. It was launched in November 2003, and within 20 days it was blocked by the Beijing Telecom Administration. Its founder, Li Jian, tried to file a lawsuit many times, but was refused by the authorities. The website is now blocked by Chinese Communist Party authorities.
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